The Frankenstein 5 Stages of Good Grief!

Yesterday, after reading about the accidental demise of Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old, beloved daughter of Gospel music superstar Steven Curtis Chapman and Mary Beth, I was moved to write an essay and, among other things I had in mind, to remind them of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ 5 stages of grief and, subsequently, was inspired to come up with an entirely new set of those, which I called The Frankenstein 5 Stages of Good Grief! (frankahilario.blogspot.com).

Good Grief! Isn’t my Frankenstein 5 simply tongue-in-cheek advice, worth a smile and nothing else? No, of course not – I’m serious even when I’m joking. Especially in the midst of gloom. Especially in the midst of tragedy.

And especially in the midst of double tragedy, nay triple tragedy. Consider these:

(1) Your youngest son killed someone, and it wasn’t self-defense. Killing is terrible.

(2) Your youngest daughter was killed, and it was without rhyme or reason. Being killed is horrible.

(3) It was your youngest son, Will Franklin, who killed your youngest daughter, Maria Sue, by accident – he had backed up your Toyota Land Cruiser on your driveway and not seen his little sister. Killing and being killed within your own family is horrifying, if unintentional.

That’s why the 4th stage of Good Grief! of the Frankenstein 5 is Rejoicing, and the 5th stage is Growing with it. And that’s why the title of my essay in my main blog is ‘Good Grief!’ with the subtitle ‘Steven Curtis Chapman, please don’t be Sue-sad.’

And now I want to recite here the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi that I believe is apt, even if I know the Chapmans are not Roman Catholics like me (I had this in another essay, 'Primate Change? Or Climate Change?' frankahilario.blogspot.com):

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.